All Articles For Seminary News

Dear friends of the Seminary, The 2019 school year has begun well. Pray that we may finish well too, since the Lord calls us always to “endure to the end.” The labors are a joy as we do them in Christ’s name and for His church. But the devil always assaults, too, so please keep the seminary in your personal, family, and congregational prayers. This school year is different from others in several ways. New professors First, Rev. Brian Huizinga is now Professor Huizin­ga. On September 4, at a full sanctuary of Grandville (MI) PRC where he and his family...

The seminary salutes all our readers of the Standard Bearer! Your regular prayers sustain us. We hear of them. Your financial support—through weekly offerings—makes it possible for us to do our work without thinking about daily bread. Thank you. Your extraordinary gifts make possible the growth of the library, attendance at conferences otherwise not feasible, and building additions and improvements not imagined a generation ago. We are humbled by this generosity in the name of Christ. Most importantly, some of your sons are here to study. Currently, there are four men studying pre-seminary Greek. Soon, God willing, these men will...

September 1, 2008 The new school year was scheduled to begin on Monday, August 25, with an opening “orientation” and chapel speech by the rector. This is normal for the day before regular classes. The students receive assignments and reading lists, purchase the required books at the seminary bookstore, and receive their “practice preaching” text assignments. The rector makes important announcements, reminds the students what to expect, and opens with a devotional exposition of Scripture and prayer. The new students feel their way around. The older students take a deep breath. Ten students will grace our halls in the year...

The second semester of the school-year is well underway. Prof. R. Cammenga taught an interim course, between the semesters, on “Contemporary Roman Catholic Theology.” Senior seminarian Heath Bleyenberg has rejoined us, having successfully completed his six-month internship in the Hudsonville Protestant Reformed Church in Hudsonville, MI under the supervision of Hudsonville’s council, particularly the Rev. G. Eriks. In addition to his regular courses, Mr. Bleyenberg is preparing for his synodical examinations before the synod in June. Third-year seminarian Cory Griess will do his internship in the Hull Protestant Reformed congregation in Hull, IA, beginning in July 2008 under the tutelage...

Ten full-time seminarians are studying for the ministry at the Protestant Reformed Seminary this school year. For the Protestant Reformed Seminary, this is a large enrollment. A picture of the four faculty members and ten seminarians (courtesy of Don Doezema) is published on the opposite page. As rector, Prof. D. Engelsma addressed the faculty and student body at the opening-day assembly for worship and registration. The text of his speech, “The Work of the Ministry of the Word,” appears elsewhere in this issue of theStandard Bearer. Of the ten seminarians, seven seek ordination in the Protestant Reformed Churches as pastors...

The Protestant Reformed Seminary began its eighty-third year of instruction of men for the ministry of the word and sacraments on August 28. Prof. David Engelsma opened the school year for the faculty and students with a chapel-speech on I Samuel 17:38-40 entitled, “Unsuitable Armor.” Seven men are full-time students. Mr. Nathan Langerak, son of the Hope Protestant Reformed Church in Walker, Michigan, is a fourth-year student. He is married to Carrie. They have two children. Nathan is presently doing his internship at the Grandville Protestant Reformed Church in Grandville, Michigan. He will finish his training with courses at the seminary the...

It is time again for a report of our work here on “Seminary Hill.” We recently passed the mid-point of second semester; next week is Spring Break; after that there are only five more weeks of class until exams. Exams for the returning students, that is. Not for graduating students. The rule in the Theological School Constitution states that the final examination of graduatingstudents will be oral. At synod. In public. No one is more conscious of that than our three senior seminarians. Since they have returned from their internships in January, they have been keenly anticipating the three days of public exams...

It’s Saturday morning, Labor Day weekend. Next Tuesday, the third week of school begins here on “the hill” (our beautiful setting, where we’re surrounded by bucks and doe and their now-still-spotted fawns, and wild turkeys). The third week already! Classes began earlier than normal this year—on August 24, two weeks before Labor Day, because the calendar required this for a fifteen-week semester before the winter holiday break and the interim. So on August 23 the students and professors gathered for opening chapel, for giving out assignments, and to offer Christian greetings to students old and new. At the chapel, Prof....

September 15, 2009 I write this news on September 15, after one full week of classes in this new semester. The starting date this year was late. Both the extended session of Synod 2009 and the seminary’s Calvin Conference in late August led the TSC to approve a starting date two weeks later than normal. But the year has begun, and begun well, under God’s blessings. The highlight of the summer was our Seminary-sponsored Calvin Conference in commemoration of the 500th anniversary of the birth of John Calvin. For over a year preparations were made for this significant event. Southwest...